About the Forestry Museum

The Forestry Museum, 4815 Marine Avenue at Willingdon Beach is open during the summer.

(noon to 4 p.m. daily beginning late June).

From October to June it is open by appointment for groups or researchers with special interests. School and bus tours are welcome. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 485-2222

At the end of 2014, the Society turned over ownership and operation of the Forestry Museum, located at Willingdon Beach, 4815 Marine Ave, Powell River, to the Powell River Historical Museum and Archives, located across the street.

We are delighted to consolidate the local Forestry industry collections under the PRHMA and will continue to support the operation with volunteers and funding.

Forestry Museum History

The Forestry Museum was conceived in the early 1980s by a dedicated group of local people including Charlie and Gerri Parsons, Jack McCuish, Bill Finn, Andy Culos, Bill Tuba and Ken Gordon.

They sought and received permission from the City to take over the the present Forestry Museum building which had been retired as the Willingdon Beach bathhouse in the 1970s and was used by the City for storage. They also worked with MacMillan Bloedel to get permission to use what is now the historic Williingdon Beach Trail as an outdoor display area.

They formed a society and opened the building as the Forestry Museum during Sea Fair 1985. The Foresty Museum and Willingdon Beach Trail were improved and developed over the next 29 years, including signature projects of the Steam Donkey in 2001 and Trestle in 2003 under the leadership of WFP Forester Rudi van Zwaaij.

In 2014 the Powell River Museum Society (PRFHS) members collaborated with the Powell River Historical Museum and Archive Association (PRHMA) to consolidate the indoor assets of the Forestry Museum with the PR Historical Museum foresty collection. The PRHMA now owns and operates the Forestry Museum, and is already making progress with improving the combined collection.

(a) to preserve and advance the heritage of the forestry industry of Powell River and District,

(b) to acquire, restore and maintain forestry equipment for the Willingdon Beach Trail, (c) to develop and operate a model, ridable railroad at Paradise Exhibition Park(d) to support the forestry collections of local museums